National Social Justice Movement’s appeal to the Prime Minister of India
[We reproduce the letter along with the enclosure sent to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister by the Convenor of the National Social Justice Movement, Dr. P.C.Patanjali, former Vice-Chancellor, Purvanchal University, Uttar Pradesh].
A national level meeting of the OBC leaders and activists was held in the Constitution Club, New Delhi on 17th August, 2008 under the aegis of the National Social Justice Movement programme. Shri B.R.Bhagat former Speaker Lok Sabha presided over the meeting. A list of the attending delegates is attached for ready reference. The unanimous decisions of the meeting are as follows:
That even after 61 years of Independence the presence of the OBC in the governance of the country is very scanty.
That 27% reservation in the Central Government services and educational institutes has been mandated by the Indian Parliament under article 340 of the Indian Constitution.
That these 27% seats are in addition to the seats already achieved in the merit list of the general quota by OBC candidates.
That the real implementation of the mandate has been a victim of logic chopping, clever hair-splitting arguments, intellectual gymnastics and word-jugglery of the officers sitting at the helm of affairs which has resulted in the non-implementation of the mandate of 27% reservation either in the services or in educational institutes.
In view of the above situation the meeting has passed the following resolutions unanimously for your consideration and immediate action.
Resolved
1. That the criteria of creamy layer be scrapped forthwith, to facilitate the full implementation of the spirit of 93rd amendment of the Constitution of India, in regard to the admission in institutes of higher learning (Technical Institutes and others).
2. That a commission be immediately constituted to monitor the implementation of reservation in educational institutes and the report be laid on the table of Parliament annually.
3. Three phase implementation order be immediately withdrawn and replaced by full 27% seats from the current session.
4. That Indian Judicial services as enshrined in the Article 312 of the Constitution be immediately implemented.
5. That the backlog of seats in services since 1993 be immediately filled from among the OBC category.
6. That caste based census be done in the ensuing census 2011 which will facilitate the identification of OBC.
7. Percentage of 27% reservation be increased proportionately whenever any addition is done to 1981 bench mark figures as reflected in the Mandal Commission report, 1980.
8. That several state governments such as West Bengal, Orissa etc., which are reluctant to implement 27% reservation in their states should be directed to adhere to the principle of reservation as mandated by Article 15(4), 15(5), 16(4), 14(4a) and 16(4b).
Status of OBC in Governance (Enclosure)
Even after 61 years of Independence OBC presence in Central Government jobs are as follows:-
Class I services - 4.7%
Class II services - 2.3%
Class III services - 5.9%
Class IV services - 4.3%
These figures are from the annual report 2006-07 and 2007-08 of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and pensions of Government of India. This is how the OBC category population has been systematically alienated and treated by the so called higher echelon of India who are at the helms of affair and who claim to be “Just and honest” for the common man. If there was no ‘Creamy Layer’ proviso, things would have been different.
There are 35 Governor/Lt.Governors/Administrators as head of the Indian States. But unfortunately, not a single person belongs to OBC category except some solitary cases in the past.
There are 26 Hon’ble Judges in the Supreme Court of India where the presence of OBC category Judge is nowhere.
Union Public Service Commission has 13 members, however, OBC ember is only one.
In regard to the posts of Chairman and members in almost all constitutional and non-constitutional Commissions and Committees and public sector bodies the presence of OBC’s is completely negligible. Similar is the case in India’s Diplomatic Services, Planning Commission, Financial Institutions and other bodies of Central Government.
